Fluid mixing devices



P 1951 E. P. AGHNIDES 2,998,927

FLUID MIXING DEVICES Filed Jan. 20, 1956 FIG. IA'.

INVENTOR Elie R Aghnl'des ATTORNEY 2,998,927 FLUID MIXING DEVICES Elie P. Aghnides, 46 W. 54th St., New York 19, N .Y. 7 Filed Jan. 20,1956, Ser. No. 560,299

Claims priority, application France Nov. 29, 1949 20 Claims. (Cl. 239430) This invention relates to aerators for water faucets and more particularly to aerators of the general types shown in my U.S. Patents Nos. 2,210,846, granted August 6, 1940, entitled Fluid Mixing Device, and 2,316,832, granted April 20, 1943, also entitled Fluid Mixing Device. In these prior patents there is shown an upstream diaphragm and one or more downstream screens so proportioned and arranged with respect to each other that a whitish bubble-laden coherent jet of water emanates therefrom. These aerators have a chamber with air inlets in the side wall thereof and located between the upstream diaphragm and the downstream screen or screens. The second of said two patents has a second upstream diaphragm which imparts certain improvements. The present invention contemplates improvements in the air inlet arrangements of the foregoing patents or either of them.

One object of the invention is to simplify the construction, reduce the cost and improve the appearance of the aerator.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the openings in the side of the aerator .body and thereby to prevent the accumulation of dirt thereon.

Still another object of the invention is to prevent the horizontal projection of water from air inlets as often occurs in prior art aerators after dirt in the water has accumulated on the screens or when the housewife places objects to be washed too close to the aerator.

A further object of the invention is to permit attachment of a hose to the spout end without'the necessity ofv removing the aerator.

Another object of the invention is to permit easy cleaning of the air inlet orifice. I

In prior art aerators when one of the internal working parts has been lost or removed for any reason, it has been customary to remove the aerator from the faucet for an indefinite period While a replacement part is ordered or obtained. This is practically a necessity with prior art aerators and results in the collection of dirt in the threads on the lower end of the faucet. An additional object of the invention is to provide an aerator in which, in case one of the operating parts must be removed, or is lost, the remaining parts may be left in their usual position without any harmful results, except of course the aerating function is not then fully performed.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 337,501, filed February 18, 1953, entitled Faucet Attachment, now abandoned, as well as continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 351,907, filed April 29, 1953, entitled Fluid Mixing Device now abandoned, and which is a continuationin-part of my US. application Serial No. 88,797, filed April 21, 1949, which resulted in U.S. Patent No. 2,664,278. This application is also a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application S.N. 135,645, filed December 29, 1949, for Aerators. In the last-mentioned copending application, figures of the drawing which support claims in this case were cancelled after this case was filed and the application with other figures therein issued into US. Patent No. 2,811,340 on October 29, 1957.

The present invention contemplates an outer cylindrical member which is part of or attached to the faucet. The air is fed in from the downstream outlet end of this cylindrical member and passes in an upstream direction. The

main body of the aerator, or the shell which defines'the chamber of the aerator, or the mixing screens of the aerator, according to the invention, have slots or grooves which constitute one or more passages from the outlet end of the aerator to the space downstream the diaphragm,

whereby air may enter from the outlet end of the aerator and flow through said passages into said space.

The aerator employs jet forming meanslocated in the aerator casing or conduit, and in one form of the invention this means is a perforated diaphragm for projecting a plurality of streamlets in a downstream direction. Ad-' jacent to and downstream of the jet forming means there is located mixing means which in one form of the inven-- tion is a plurality of superposed screens. The main function of the mixing means is the same as is described in. the case of my aforesaid prior patents, that is to finely break up the water from the jet forming means and mix.v the water with air to form a coherent jet laden with. One of the features of the invention resides in the fact that the support for themix ing means is located at the downstream end of the aerator' casing and this support at least in part provides or tiefines an air inlet for the aerator.

numerous small bubbles.

The'aerator has an air passageway which extends from. the downstream end of the aerator to the mixing space above the mixing means, and it enters the mixing space adjacent the upstream side of the mixing means. For best results the air passageway is adjacent the side wall of the mixing means, to thus provide a short direct air path from the downstream end of the aerator to the mixing space.

With prior art aerators where the air enters slots in the I side wall there are a number of disadvantages. First these slots easily become contaminated with soap or food particles resulting in contamination of the Water. Secondly, in event of clogging of the screens there is the lateral squirting problem mentioned above. Also there may be substantial cost in cutting the slots.

It would be possible to overcome some of these disadvantages by adding an external skirt or hood to the conventional aerator (i.e. one that has slots in itsiside wall), and thus provide an aerator wherein air enters the cost, practical aerator with greatly improved anti-com-.

, .tamination properties.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a cross sectional view of one form of,

the invention.

FIGURE 1A is a sectional view taken along line 1A 1A of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of another form of 'of the invention. FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of still another 7 form of the invention.

In FIGURE 1,- air passageways 30 alongside the wall. of the aerator extend from the downstream end of the deviceto the space below diaphragm 31. perforated C Patented Sept,

r 2,998,927 u a disc 32, composed of polyethylene is located upstream the diaphragm 31. The periphery of this disc is thicker than the rest of it to thus space the disc from diaphragm 31 on which it rests. Disc 32 has a dished portion 33 which traverses the central opening in diaphragm 31, and a pin 34 runs through the dished portion 33. Mixing means in the form of screens 35 and 36 have frames 35a and 36a about their peripheries and are traversed by the pin 34. The frames effect a spacing between the screens. The heads of the pin 34 are larger than the diameter of the holes in dished portion 33 and the holes in the screens so that when the assembly is removed, the disc, diaphragm and screens cannot become lost. Moreover, the head of pin 34 upstream the dished portion 33 is smaller than the internal diameter of said portion so that the screens may be spaced greater than their normal amount from the diaphragm 31, during cleaning. Also the diaphragm 31 may be moved along the outside of the cup 33 so as to space it from the upper diaphragm 32, when the aerator has been disassembled for cleaning. The pin 34 holds all of the parts together so none of them can become lost during the cleaning operation. The aerator body has an internal shoulder 127 to support the diaphragm 31.

It is noted that in FIGURE 1 air enters the inlet passageways 126 at the bottom of the aerator and passes upwardly between the frames 36a and 35a and the inner side wall of the casing and enters the mixing space (the space between diaphragm 31 and screen 35). The frame 35a of screen 35 extends above the screen only a short distance so that air may enter the mixing space immediately adjacent the upper screen 35.

In FIGURE 2 the aerator body 45 has a screen unit 47 and a diaphragm 48. The screen unit 47 rests on the lower shoulder 49. The screen unit 47 is formed by the shell 52, the legs 53 of which engage by spring action the external surface of shell 54 and therefore firmly hold the internal working parts in place. One or more screens 60 may be supported by shell 54. Legs 53 may have their bottom ends bent inwardly somewhat to form a circular ledge for supporting the shell 54. It is noted from the cross sectional view of FIGURE 3A that air may pass around the shell framing the screen 60 and through the slots between legs 53 to the vents (holes 57) into the mixing space between the diaphragm 48 and the screen 61. Therefore, the unit 47 can be used with a body having the ribs 51 or not.

In FIGURE 3 the aerator body 65 has no ribs, the parts being superposed and resting on the lower and only shoulder 66. The three screens 67 each have a frame, and the frames successively rest on each other. The upper screen 67 frame has a lip 68 with cutaway slots 69 to form air inlets. The lower screen frame has lip 70 for giving the aerated stream of water a circular contour. The diaphragm 71 rests on lip 68. Polyethylene disc 72 has orifices 74 which direct the water into annular groove 75 in the lower perforated disc 71, the latter having holes that are out of alignment with the holes 74. In other words, the water coming through holes 74 strikes the groove 75 and fills the space between the diaphragms 71 and 72 and is thereafter projected out of the orifices in disc 71 which orifices are located on opposite sides of the groove 75. A pin 73 with enlargements at both ends passes through discs 71 and 72 and prevents them from being separated from each other more than the limited distance which is necessary for cleaning. This tends to reduce the possibility that one of these discs will become lost or misplaced. The frames of the screens 67 have slots 78 as shown in FIGURE 3A, to provide passages between the inner wall of the aerator body 76 and the outer edge 77 of the frame of the screen 67. The frames of the screens include projections 77a for centering the screens, and the spaces between these projections form air passageways 78. Consequently air can enter into space 78a at the outlet end of the aerator and flow upwardly through the passageways 78 in the outer edges 4 of the frames of the screens and thence through holes 69 into the space downstream the diaphragm 71.

FIGURE 4 shows an aerating unit which may he slipped .into one of the casings, such as the casing 65 of FIGURE 3, in place of the aerating unit 67 to 75 inclusive of FIGURE 3. In the aerating unit of FIGURE 4, the cylindrical shell 101 is integral with a handle 102 and with the diaphragm 103. A second and separate diaphragm 109 rests on the ledge 110 of the casing 101. The two diaphragms are perforated and therefore high velocity streamlets strike the screens 107. The shell 101 has four depending legs 104. The latter have inturned fingers 105 which support a shell 106 that carries the screens 107. The fingers 105 may rest on the lower ledge of the aerator casing, for example the ledge 66 of FIG- URE 3. In that circumstance, the air may enter the discharge end of the casing and pass between the fingers 105 and thence upward between the outer surface of shell 106 and the inner surface of the aerator casing and thence through air openings 110 to the space downstream the diaphragm 103. Shell 101 is preferably in polyethylene or any other material having washer-like scaling properties. It is also noted that the aerating unit of this aerator may be removed as a unitary structure by virtue of handle 102 and the screen 106 can be taken out readily for cleaning. Diaphragm 109 can be lifted for cleaning the two diaphragms 103 and 109.

Either or both of diaphragms 103 and 109 may be composed of flexible washer-like material. In case the diaphragm 103 is composed of that material then, of course, the body 101 would be also and this would eliminate the necessity for the usual rubber washer that is normally supplied with aerators that have metal casings.

In FIGURE 5, the spout end of the faucet has female threads 86 adapted to receive male threads on the aerator. The aerator has a member 87 with a threaded portion 88 for connection to the aforesaid threaded portion 86 of the faucet. The member 87 also has a flange 89 which supports the aerator casing 90 which in turn has a flange 90a that extends above and rests on the aforesaid fiange 89, whereby the casing 90 is held in place. Member 87 has a shoulder 91 and a serrated opening 92 in the center thereof which is traversed by member 93, the serrated edge 94 of which rests on shoulder 91. The water passes first through the upper serrated part 94 and then through the serrations 92 before reaching the screens 95 in the form of individual streamlets. A plurality of legs 96 serve as a stop element when the screw 97 is rotated to move the screens 95 upwardly into their proper position. After the device has been thus assembled, it can function in either of two ways. First, it can function as an aerator in which serrations or holes 92 and 94 form the holes of two upstream diaphragms, the lower one of which projects water upon the screens 95. Air enters the outlet end of the aerator and passes between the peripheries of the screens and the casing 90 into the space downstream the holes 92. When it is desired to flood the screens for the purpose of cleaning them, it is possible to press the knob 99 upwardly in which event the upper ends of the slots between the legs 96 move to a position above the lower diaphragm 87 whereby water now enters into the space partially surrounded by the legs 96 in great quantity and floods the lower casing so that a non-aerated stream of water emerges. The aerator of FIGURE 5 is particularly suited for use on faucets installed in public places, since it is reasonably vandalproof, and in this connection the head 99 could be made of triangular (or other special) cross section so as to require a special key for removal of the same. Hence the screens 95 could not be removed without the special key. Moreover, the aerator of FIGURE 5 would seldom require removal for cleaning, as by pushing the screen upward the two diaphragms would automatically be cleaned. In order to preclude rotation of the member 93 when the screw 97 is rotated, the legs 96 have fins 96a located in vertical planes, these fins being adapted to fit into the serrations of the member 87 to thus hold the angular position of member 93 constant while the screw 97 is being rotated. If the threads 86 and 88 are lefthand threads, it is advisable to have the thread 100 on the rod 97 a righthand thread, so that it will be impossible to remove the entire aerator by removing the screw 97.

In all forms of the invention hereinabove disclosed, the relationship of the diaphragms and the screens, that is their relative meshes, spacings, and other dimensions, conform to the well known commercial practice which has prevailed in the aerator art for a number of years, where by there is produced the well known coherent whitish jet containing a very large number of bubbles in the water.

It is clear that in FIGURE 1 the inner parts may be replaced by the inner parts of FIGURE 3 or FIGURE 4. In FIGURE 2 theinner parts may be replaced by the inner parts of FIGURES l, 3 and 4. In FIGURE 3, the inner parts may be replaced by the inner parts of FIG- URES 1, 2 and 4, and in FIGURE 4 the inner parts may be replaced by the inner pants of FIGURES 1 and 3.

I claim to have invented:

1. An aerator comprising a conduit adapted to be con nected at its upstream end to a source of water under pressure, jet-forming means in'the conduit for increasing the velocity of flow, transverse means carried by the downstream portion of the conduit and extending transverse to the path of flow, said transverse means having a water discharge opening, said transverse means including mixing means for finely breaking up the water from the jet-forming means and mixing such water with air and for discharging through the entire area of said water discharge opening a coherent jet of aerated water laden with numerous small bubbles so as to block entrance of air through the water discharge opening, said mixing means being spaced downstream of the jet forming means to form a mixing space therebetween, said transverse means and the inside wall of the conduit defining an air passageway therebetween extending from the downstream open end of the conduit past the mixing means and communicates with the mixing space adjacent to the upstream side of the mixing means.

2. An aerator comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure at its upstream end, said conduit having a downstream open end, jet forming means in the conduit upstream of said open end for increasing the velocity of while decreasing the cross-section of the water, mixing means comprising superposed screens at leastone of which is located in the conduit, said mixing means being spaced downstream of the jet forming means to form a mixing space, tubular supporting means for said screens surrounding the peripheries of the screens, said tubular supporting means and the conduit defining an air space between-them, the tubular supporting means extending above the upstream screen a smallamount as compared to the distance from that screen to the jet forming means so that the air space adjacent the outer side wall of the tubular supporting means communicates with the mixing space adjacent to the upstream screen thereby forming a short air path from the downstream open end of the conduit to said mixing space.

3. An aerator comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be connected to a sourceof water under pressure at its upstream end, said conduit having an inner wall and a downstream open end, means in the conduit for increasing the velocity of while decreasing the cross-section of flow, mixing means adjacent to the downstream end of the com duit for finely breaking up the water from the first-named means and mixing it with air to produce a coherent jet laden with numerous small bubbles, the second named means being spaced downstream from the first-named means to form a mixing space, and supporting means for the mixing means which cooperates with the inner wall of said conduit to define an air" inlet passageway which is open to the atmosphere at the downstream open end of the conduit and extends adjacent to the mixing means and enters said mixing space adjacent to the upstream side of the mixing means.

4. An aerator comprising a main body in the form of a tubular conduit adapted to be attached to a source of water at its upstream end and to discharge the water from its downstream end, the outside surface of said conduit forming the outside surface of the aerator; jet form ing means in the conduit for increasing the velocity of flow while decreasing the cross-section of flow; mixing means adjacent the downstream end of the conduit for finely breaking up the water and mixing it with air to produce a coherent stream laden with numerous small bubbles; said mixing means being spaced downstream of the jet forming means to form a mixing space therebetween; supporting means for the mixing means in the form of a shell around the periphery of the mixing means; said supporting means and the inner wall of the conduit defining an air passageway from the downstream end of the, conduit past the supporting means to the space between the jet forming means and the mixing means, said shell dividing the downstream end of the conduit into a water outlet passageway and said air passageway and channeling the bubble-laden water out of the water outlet passageway completely blocking entry of air throughout the cross-section of the discharging bubble-laden stream, said shell being of smaller cross-section throughout its length than the inside cross-section of the conduit and carried by the inner wall thereof, the cross-section of the wall of the shell being small'as compared to the cross-section inside the conduit and the wall of said shell being thinner than the wall of the conduit whereby the air enters immediate ly adjacent the outgoing water stream, said shell terminating in an upstream direction above and adjacent to the upstream side of the mixing means, whereby there is a short air path from the outlet end of the conduit to the mixing space.

5; An aerator comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be attached to a source of water atits upstream end and to discharge the water from its downstream end; jet forming means in the conduit for increasing the velocity of flow while decreasing the cross-section of flow; mixing means adjacent the downstream end of the conduit and spaced downstream of the jet forming means for finely breakingup the water and mixing it with air to produce a coherent stream laden with numerous small bubbles; said mixing means being at least partly within the downstream end of the conduit and of smaller cross-section than the conduit; supporting means carried by the downstream end of the conduit and extending therefrom inwardly supporting the mixing means; said supporting means having an air passageway and the mixing means with the 'fi'rstmamed one, to provide an air inlet from the downstream end of the conduit past both the mixing means and the supporting means to the space between the jet forming means and the mixing means.

6. A device for producing a stream of water containing air bubbles throughout the stream, comprising in combination a body member adapted at one end for attachment to the discharge end of a conduit adapted to deliver water. under pressure, said body member defining a chamber whereby the inner wall of the body member is the wall of the chamber, said chamber having an outlet at the downstream end thereof, jet forming means positioned in said chamber, mixing means for finely breaking up the output of the jet forming means and mixing that output with air to form a coherent jet of aerated water, said mix-,

' ing means being positioned in said chamber and spaced the space between the jet forming means and the means.

7; A device for producting a stream of liquid con; taining air bubbles throughout the discharging stream, comprising in combination: a body member for attachment to the discharge end of a conduit adapted todeliver liquid under pressure, said body member defining a chamber having an outlet at the downstream end of said chamber, jet forming means positioned in said chamber, mixing means for finely breaking up, the, output of the jet forming means and that output with air to form a coherent jet of aerated water, said mixing means being positioned in said chamber and spacedin said chamber downstream of said jet forming means, said chamber defining indents along its inner side wall for 2.1-. lowing passage of air from its discharge end along its inner side wall to the space between the jet forming means and the mixing means.

8. An aerator comprising a tubular conduit having an inturned ledge at its downstream end, the outer surface of said conduit constituting the outer surface of the aerator, a first unit including jet forming means for increasing the velocity of the water while decreasing its cross-section, a second unit including mixing means for finely breaking up the water from the jet forming means and mixing it with air and which discharges the same as a coherent jet laden with numerous small bubbles, said second unit being insertable through the upstream end of the conduit to rest on said ledge, said conduit and said second unit defining an air inlet space therebetween to permit air to enter from the extreme downstream end of the aerator alongside the outer surface of the second unit and then pass inwardly adjacent the mixing means to the space above the mixing means, said first unit being insertable through the upstream end of the conduit and when so inserted rests upon thesecond unit and is supported at least in part thereby with the first and second means in spaced relation to each other, said jet forming means directing the water therefrom at the mixing means and away from the air space between the conduit and the second unit.

9. A device for producing a stream of liquid containing air bubbles throughout the discharge stream as defined in claim 7 in which the wall of the chamber has at least two indents and it extends inwardlybetween at least some of the indents to form ledges, said means being carried on said ledges.

10. An aerator as defined in claim 1 in which said transverse means includes at 'least one inturned ledge at the downstream edge of the conduit and "also includes a supporting element for the mixing means resting on said ledge.

11. An aerator as defined in claim in which said mixing means rests on said supponting means, and projections spaced around the periphery of the mixing means for engaging the inner side wall of the casing and center-. ing the mixing means, the spaces between said projections constituting at least a part of the secondsnarned air passageways.

12. An aerator as defined in claim 5 in which said conduit is cylindrical and said supporting means includes an annular ring of smaller diameter than the inner wall of the conduit located concentric with the conduit adjacent the downstream end thereof, said suppor ng mean defining its inlet air passageway between the ring and the inner wall of the conduit. I

13. An aerator as defined in claim 12 including means for centering the mixing means so that the aerated water discharged therefrom passes out the central opening in the ring.

14. An aerator comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be attached at its upstream end to a source of water under pressure and to discharge the water from its downstream end, said conduit having an inner wall and a.

downstream open end, means in the conduit for increasng he l i y of while dec e sing e cross-sect on of flow, mixing means, for finely breaking up the water from the first-named means andmixing the water: with air to produce a coherent stream of water laden with numerous small bubbles, said mixing means being spaced downstream of the first-named means to form therebetween a mixing space, the outer peripheral portion of said mixing means and at least part of the inner wall of the conduit forming an passageway therebetween which is open to the atmosphere at its lower end and extends past the mixing means and enters said mixing space at the upstream side of the peripheral portion of the mixing means.

15. An aerator as defined in claim 14 having a centrally located supporting element carried by and extending downwardly from the first-named means and carrying the mixing means.

16. An aerator as defined in claim 14, having supporting means ca ried by the downstream end of the conduit and extending inwardly to support the mixing means, said supporting means having openings therein to form at least part of said passageway.

17. An aerator comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be attached at its upstream end to a source of water under pressure, said conduit having an inner wall and a downstream open end, means in the conduit for increasing the velocity while decreasing the cross-section of flow, mixing means for finely breaking up the water from the first-named means and mixing the water with air to produce a coherent jet laden with numerous small bubbles, said mixing means being located downstream of the first-named means to thereby form a mixing space therebetween, supporting means for the mixing means carried by the downstream end of the conduit and extending inwardly and supporting the mixing means, said supporting means defining a water passage containing said mixing means for receiving water from the firstnamed means and discharging it as a coherent jet and also defining between the inixing means and the inner wall of the conduit an air passage extending from the downstream end of the conduit through the space between the water passage and the inner wall of the conduit to said mixing space.

18. An aerator as defined in claim 17 in which the mixing means includes at least one screen positioned upstream of the downstream open end of the' conduit, said supporting means including an inwardly projecting portion of the downstream end of the conduit and also including a frame for said screen.

19. An aerator as defined in claim 17 in which said mixing means comprises at least one screen, the supporting means including a plurality of inwardly projecting members at the downstream end of the conduit, and l n u i a tram to; sa d een a inwardly P j ns m mbe bein s a ed apart t rrq d air inlet passageways therebetween.

20. An aerator as defined in claim 17 in which said mixing means comprises at least one screen, said supporting means including a member extending inwardly from and carried by the conduit and also including a rame for the screen having spaced projections extending outwardly therefrom and resting on said member, the spaces between said projections forming air inlet passageways.

R fe en e Ci n t fi of hi at n UNITED STATES PATENTS 

